The Washington Center Advantage

Today’s students and their parents increasingly turn to colleges and universities to provide exceptional off-campus study and internship opportunities. Institutions turn to The Washington Center to provide their students unparalleled learning opportunities in Washington, D.C., and abroad. Among the reasons why affiliates partner with TWC:

• The Washington Center is recognized here and abroad for offering high-quality experiential education programs.
• A staff of 140 professionals, associate faculty and Alumni in Residence staff supervises and supports students throughout their participation in TWC programs.
• Our alumni number more than 50,000 graduates, including leaders in a wide range of professional fields.
• Financial assistance of over $5.6 million is awarded each year from a variety of states, corporations, foundations, internship sites and individual contributors.
• Students are provided a peer group that is academically strong (average GPA over 3.3) and socially diverse (students come from across the U.S. and many other countries and are of a wide range of backgrounds).
• We have a distinguished and engaged Board of Directors, Liaison Advisory Board and Council of Presidents.
• We maintain a broad and well-established network of more than 1,000 potential internship sites and substantive, non-clerical positions are assured.
• Housing is guaranteed in conveniently located, furnished apartments staffed by student services professionals. The Washington Center has 2 housing facilities; the Residential and Academic Facility at NoMa in Washington D.C., and the Residential Facility at Solaire in nearby Silver Spring, MD.
• We offer the option of institutionally-branded programs.
• Full control of application approvals, academic credit and grading is retained by the home campus.
• The Washington Center’s headquarters—a turn-of-the-century mansion just north of the White House—is available to affiliates for social functions by special arrangement.

Why and How to Affiliate

Affiliation offers an immediate enhancement to a college or university’s educational programs. But it can also be an asset for your institution’s admissions, public relations and advancement efforts.

• It can help attract and retain academically talented, motivated students.
• It helps further position the institution as one connected to the larger world and supportive of public service and other forms of civic engagement.
• Affiliated colleges and universities can include their TWC program in their admissions catalogs and recruitment materials, course listings, alumni newsletters and other publications, and on their websites.
• Feature articles about student experiences in Washington, D.C., offer compelling examples of the educational opportunities open to students at those institutions.
• The Office of Institutional Relations is available to answer any questions you may have as you consider establishing a relationship between your college or university and The Washington Center.

_{How to Affiliate}

TWC provides an Institutional Preferences Form [4] that details the steps for affiliating; the president or chief academic officer need only send a completed copy of this form. Alternatively, the president or chief academic officer may send a letter to the President of The Washington Center. In either case, the document should:

• Designate a campus liaison with contact information.
• Include the number and type of credits that will be awarded for successful completion of programs.
• Identify who should receive invoices for program and housing fees for both internship and academic seminar participants.

Billing, credit, and liaison arrangements may be modified at any time by notifying The Washington Center.

The Role of Campus Liaisons

The campus liaison plays a vital role in the success of an institution’s participation with The Washington Center. This person:

• Helps publicize and explain TWC’s programs to students using resources provided.
• Approves all applicants through a signature on program applications.
• Receives evaluations and recommended grades from TWC for all students.
• Coordinates credit awards either directly or in cooperation with faculty in different departments.

_{Choosing a Liaison}

Choosing the right campus liaison is an important step. Liaisons have a variety of positions;  they include faculty members, career services professionals, deans and honors directors, among many others. When the liaison is part of an academic department, participation tends to be highest among students in that department; if the liaison is in an office like Career Services, access to students in all majors may be greater but granting credit can be more difficult. When making this decision, institutions should consider a person’s:

• Ability to publicize and administer an off-campus program.
• Accessibility to students.
• Ability to arrange credit.
• Enthusiasm for connecting students with special opportunities.

Institutions can designate a sole liaison for the entire school or a primary liaison with one or more co-liaisons in different departments. Additional details and information for liaisons is available here. [5] Institutions may change their liaison(s) at any time by notifying The Washington Center.